Ranma 1. Tuesday

**One Night**

**By Lana Atkins**

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**Tuesday**

The school bell rang gaily for the last time that day, and with it came the sounds of stomping feet, moving chairs and gleeful laughter as classrooms were emptied of their students.

Akane Tendo started suddenly at the sound of the bell and looked at the watch attached to her slim wrist. She gasped loudly.

"Oh no, I totally lost track of the time – Yuka, Sayuri, we're late!''

With that, she shoved her books in her bag, caught hold of her bewildered best friends and fled the classroom, in the process creating quite a mess in her wake. Her classmates stared after the trio, stunned, and then around their classroom, looking at the clutter made by the tornado Akane had caused in her eagerness to escape.

Daisuke and Hiroshi stared with the rest, then grabbed their own things. Stepping over the overturned tables and chairs, and tripping a couple of times on the books and pencils that littered the ground, they went over to the back where their friend, Ranma Saotome, was leaning on the wall polishing off an apple noisily.

"Geez, at least chew with your mouth closed, man, all the bits're flyin' everywhere.." Hiroshi said, watching a shred of apple fly overhead and smack splat against a wall.

Ranma shrugged, but didn't say anything, busy putting the finishing touches on the bit of fruit.

Daisuke leaned on the wall beside Ranma, and looked away nonchalantly as he asked, "So.. Akane looked like she was in a hurry today.''

Ranma regarded him indifferently. "So?"

"So," Daisuke continued patiently, "don't you wanna know what she's up to?"

The pig-tailed boy shot him an annoyed look as he tossed his apple core skillfully into the class dustbin a few metres away. He crossed his arms.

"It don't matter to me what that uncute tomboy does," he muttered.

Daisuke shook his head. "She's _your_ fiancée, you dog. It's your **job** to know."

The 17-year-old pushed past the other two in an effort to get to the door, a scornful expression marking his face. "Feh. It's not like I hafta watch the girl 24/7. She's free to do what she likes, and I couldn't care** less**. Stupid tomboy can take care of herself. With all that brute strength, you'd have to be an total idiot to attack her anyway.."

His friends exchanged a knowing look. After the heated argument Ranma and Akane had shared in the school compound that afternoon, something to do with, as normally the case was, Akane's extreme lack of culinary skills, they knew better than to question Ranma's foul mood.

Nevertheless, Daisuke frowned and eyed his friend through slitted eyes. "You know, Saotome, sometimes I feel you don't deserve Akane. She's one of the cutest girls in school, she has a bod to kill, and she even makes you lunch! I mean, what more could you _want_, man?"

Ranma slung his satchel over his shoulder and made a face.

"**_Her_**?" he spat. "A nice body? Please. An elephant has smaller thighs than she does. And, god, have you even **_tasted_** that stuff? I could eat stuff out of the garbage and feel less sick! And it'd taste better too!"

At that moment, for some unknown reason, an image flitted across his mind. It was accompanied by a sudden rush of guilt.

An excited Akane faced him, holding out a bento to him with such childlike pride, she simply shone. She was smiling.

It was that smile that made him halt in his steps for a moment. It struck him that the first time he'd seen it, he'd been so frightened of whatever she had planned on poisoning him with today that he'd completely missed out on the unexplainable feeling of euphoria that surfaced every time he witnessed that expression of innocent joy on her face. It was the smile that he dreamed about sometimes, or pondered when he was alone, or lamented over when he was the one that took it from her face..

The image resurfaced again, and he grinned a little goofily, not even surprised that he wasn't mad anymore. Image-Akane smiled still softly at him, her eyes slightly closed, as the sun shone around her form, bathing her in an almost heavenly light..

_C-cute.._

It was the sensation of heat rising in his cheeks that brought him back to reality. He cursed under his breath, turning away from his friends who had stopped to stare bemusedly back at him in the hallway.

"What's up, Ranma?" asked Hiroshi, walking back and bending around to catch a glimpse of Ranma's flaming face. "Why're you all _red_?"

Ranma started and mumbled something about summer colds, which somehow deepened the colour that tinted his cheeks.

"Funny, you seemed fine a moment ago.." Daisuke said. "Until you spaced out and started grinning outta nowhere -"

Hiroshi watched as Ranma sent a silencing death glare Daisuke's way, the latter stepping away a little fearfully.

He exhaled and closed his eyes, shaking his head. It was truly a terrible curse, to be so blatantly obvious. He felt for his friend, he really did.

But for Pete's _sake_! _Everyone_ knew that Ranma liked Akane but the guy himself, the dolt. It was that apparent. There were times where he contemplated smacking him on the back of his dense head and yelling, "WAKE UP AND SMELL THE DOGGIE-DO! YOU'RE IN FRIGGIN' LOVE!" but then he'd remember Ranma's background and knew this was probably something they'd have to sort out themselves, sooner or later.

He glanced to his left, and eyed Ranma's still slightly crimson face. He had no doubt gotten over his anger and would eventually be thinking about how he was going to apologize to Akane later. Then, after he did, it would end up this brief awkward moment and everything would be fine again.. until the next time.

It didn't help, though, that nothing ever seemed to change. It was the same never-ending cycle, day in and day out, and somehow neither of the two could decide to stop all the nonsensical bickering and just _get together_ already. Kami knew it'd save them, _all_ of them, a lot of grief.

This infrequent moment of depth ended abruptly and was forgotten when Hiroshi decided to change the subject. The three made it out the main door and he slung an arm on Ranma's strong shoulder.

"So, anyway, did you check out the news on the school bulletin board? About the senior prom night coming up?"

Ranma shrugged at his side. "Heard about it. Some of the girls were talkin' about it in class."

"SO? Who're you taking, eh? I can't believe you have four drop-dead gorgeous fiancées to choose from. FOUR!" Hiroshi held up four fingers and shook them. "Huh.. If only we were that lucky, ey, Dai?''

Daisuke nodded ruefully. "Yeah, some guys just have it all."

Ranma, far from the image of a guy who had it all, just looked tired. "I only got three fiancées. Kodachi is a loon. She doesn't count," he grumbled.

Hiroshi scoffed. "**_Only_** three fiancées, he says. Well, my friend, you don't have much time left to make a decision. Prom's this Thursday. And knowing your fiancées and your current track record, well.." he clapped a hand on Ranma's back and closed his eyes, shaking his head solemnly. "My heart goes out to you, man."

They passed the outdoor bulletin board. Ranma's eyes lingered for a moment on the big colourful heading of its newest addition: _Senior Prom Night; One To Remember. _

He had an inkling it would keep its promise.

-----

Akane stopped at the entrance of the Sakura Boutique. Letting her friend's hands go; she bent down and put her own hands on her knees, trying desperately to catch her breath. When she did, she looked up triumphantly at the sign in front of the shop, which read:

**SAKURA'S BIG SALE**

**ONE-TIME DEAL! Get your dresses, gowns, handbags, watches, jewellery and anything you fancy at half-price or even better discounts! For one day only. From 12.00p.m to 3.30p.m.**

Akane glanced at her watch. It read 2.15p.m.

"Well,'' she said cheerfully. "We may not have much time, but at least we got here before the sale ended."

She looked behind her at her two friends who were still panting and wheezing for breath.

"Hold on a minute, Akane," coughed Sayuri, holding a hand up. "Give us time to recover for a bit."

"Yeah, we don't all have your stamina," Yuka added.

Akane blushed, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry I dragged you out so quickly, guys. But you know how hard it is to get decent dresses for reasonable prices in this town. And we don't have a whole lot of time either. The prom's on Thursday, remember? That's only two days away.''

Yuka straightened up. "I remember. And I guess we are a little late in picking our dresses, that should have been done months ago, but with the exams and.. now hold on just a doggone minute."

She placed a hand on her hip, smiling slyly at her short-haired friend, but speaking in an innocently sugar-sweet voice that reminded Akane of a cat that had just got the canary.

"Well Akane, you've never taken an interest in any of our school dances. Whenever we asked you to go with us, you'd say it was all a waste of your time. Why the sudden change of heart, hmm?''

Akane turned yet a brighter shade of red, feeling like the canary.

"Well ..you know.. it _is _our last year here at Furinkan. Don't I get the chance to enjoy at least one of the school's proms?''

"Sure you do, Akane,'' Sayuri said, straightening and coming forward. "But you know, given your previous record of 'candidates' for these events, we thought you wouldn't want to go."

Akane sighed, remembering. For the past five or so years she had been in this school, dances had always been an issue. She hated to admit it, but almost all the boys in school did have the hots for her, and every few days before the prom, she'd have to fight an even larger than normal army of boys screaming, "Akane! I'm taking you to the dance!" and Kuno.. Oh, God, Kuno was worse than ever. He'd pay out the whole Kendo team to fight her even _after _school, all so he could take her to the dance if they beat her. She always kicked their sorry asses in the end, but still.. the thought of Kuno taking her to the dance, or _anywhere_ for that matter.. she shivered just thinking about it.

Yuka's sugary voice cut into her thoughts. "But, oh, that's right, I just remembered. You have Ranma now," at this the girl smiled cheekily as Akane practically glowed from the red on her cheeks, "and this year is different. Isn't that right, Akane-chan?"

Akane was shaking, her fists already clenching at her sides. She cursed herself inwardly for being so easy to read.

"Ranma? As if I'm doing this for that no-good, insensitive, insulting, stupid, egomaniacal jerk! I'm doing this for me!"

"Sure, Akane, whatever you say.." Sayuri said unconvincingly, winking at Yuka.

Akane caught the wink, and didn't like where this was going. At a loss for what to do, Akane's body acted fast as to not let them dwell any further on the subject. She tugged her friends into the boutique. "Enough talk, more movement! We don't have all year you know!''

Then she stopped, letting go off their hands again.

And stared, bug-eyed, at the horde of people swarming the place.

"What a battlefield.'' Sayuri commented somewhat hollowly. Akane smiled, knowing that the topic before had now been forgotten at the sight of the craze.

"Well, girls, we've got a lot of ground to cover— So I say we get started.'' Yuka shouted over the noise.

-----

Ranma walked home alone.

He was thankful for the peace. If he'd walked home with Akane, they'd probably be fighting about now. All his apologies always ended up landing him in even deeper trouble, so he supposed it was better that they were apart now anyway.

He wondered where she'd gone. Probably to cool off somewhere. He sighed, bowing his head, his bangs flopping over his eyes.

He wanted to be grateful. He really did. He knew she had tried really hard to cook that lunch, she always did.. and for some odd reason, it made her happy to do so. The bad news was that his body was often more in control than his mind.. his mouth, to be more exact. The moment he set his eyes on the.. the_ things _she'd presented in that bento, he had belted out an insult faster than his brain had time to tell him that that was the stupidest thing he could do.

Maybe he had some sort of mental illness? Why did he always put his foot in his stupid mouth and sign his own death contract?

Ranma uttered another sigh, a more theatrical one than the last. He supposed he was going to have to apologize sooner or later. Maybe Akane'd forgive him and then..

_And then what? _he thought. _Ask her to the prom?_

He stopped and stared heavenwards.

The Prom.

It was his very first one. He didn't really know much about dances and stuff, but apparently it was a pretty big deal to the seniors at Furinkan High. Ranma couldn't see what all the hype was about. It was just a dance. A silly, meaningless dance.

And he knew that this silly, meaningless dance was going to cause him a lot of trouble.

He wrung his hands.

_How the hell am I gonna make this work?_

He stopped to kick a pebble. Why was it always so hard? If he picked one girl, three other girls would either be very upset, very angry, or very homicidal. And only too ready to vent their frustrations on him.

The teenage martial artist looked around. The streets were clear.

He walked up to the nearest telephone pole and started banging his head on it.

-----

Akane pushed and nudged her way through the hustle and bustle, trying to catch a breath and ignore the yells and shrieks of at least another hundred women, screaming:

"Hey, you! Get me a size smaller!"

"Give me that dress back, you hussy! I saw it first!''

"WHAT DO YOU **_MEAN_** MY BUM LOOKS FAT IN THESE PANTS?! "

Akane finally burst through the crowd, closed her eyes and sighed. She was developing a headache from the noise, her feet hurt from being stepped on and tripped over and she was feeling claustrophobic from the lack of space. She wanted to go home, maybe a lie down a while..

_No_, she told herself, determinedly shrugging her weariness away. _You've waited too long for this. You're not leaving without a dress._

She was picky. The dresses were either too big, too plain, too tiny, too skimpy, too old, or too frumpy. She was just about ready to decide she'd have to go to the prom in a potato sack when suddenly, something on top of a pile of clothes caught her eye. She hurriedly ran over and picked it up gently.

It was a silk blue gown with tiny white flowers sewn along the straps. A few big roses darned the top left hand corner of the gown. She ran a finger along the roses, and then across the soft fabric of the gown, which had a long, sort of graceful slit at one side. It was simply gorgeous.

As she smoothed a thumb over the sleek material, she wondered why something as beautiful as this hadn't been snatched up already. Then she grinned. Maybe the forces that be were on her side today.

Sayuri appeared before her and peered over the mountainous pile of clothes she was struggling with. She squealed.

"Oh Akane, that gown is darling! Go try it on. It will look so perfect on you."

So before she knew it, she was in the dressing room trying the gown. She had to slip it on carefully; the dress was very delicate, and she prayed silently that she wouldn't be struck by the sudden 'bouts' of clumsiness that she was inclined to.

Finally it was on, and she straightened the remaining crinkles out. Then she turned around and faced the mirror.

It fit - perfectly.

It was as if the gown was tailored for her. It wasn't too tight, nor was it too loose. Every nip and tuck accentuated her slim figure, and the split played peak-a-boo, showing off a creamy, milk-white thigh. She turned around, noticing how the crisscross of the straps and low cutting made her back look almost elegant. The soft blue of the gown even complimented the blue highlights in her hair, making them shine in the light of the dressing room.

After checking it out from every angle, and liking what she saw, all the doubt in her mind was removed. This was _the_ dress.

Her mind suddenly spun off in fantasy.

_She was descending from a marble staircase. White gloves adorned her hands, and her hair was twirled in the most elegant of fashions, with diamonds that sparkled with the light of the chandeliers. She swept across the gleaming floor, capturing the eyes and attention of everyone present.. but she had eyes for but one._

_Ranma turned slowly to her, looking as handsome as ever, and she saw the shining, mesmerized look in his eyes, one merged with utter devotion. He took her hand and kissed it gently, lovingly, as he bent down and said sensually, "You are the most beautiful, elegant, womanly thing I've ever seen. May I have this dance?"_

_She smiled happily down at him. "Oh, Ranma, I -"_

"AKANE!"

Akane jumped and bumped against the mirror, shocked out of her daydream. She faced the door and spoke, unable to keep the tremble out of her voice.

"S-sayuri! Did you have to shout?! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry!" called Sayuri over the door of her dressing room. "It's just you've been in there a while, Akane, and you weren't answering my knocks. I was wondering if you needed any help with the zippers."

"The zippers are fine, Sayuri, thanks!" Akane said, more than a little embarrassed.

She blocked out Sayuri's next reply, instead staring into her reflection in the mirror. A slightly dazed, confused Akane stared back at her.

How? How could she allow herself to think that way about.. about **_him_**?! After what the stupid pervert had DONE? She should have been dreaming about bashing his moronic SKULL in, not..

Not..

She closed her eyes in resignation, uttering a small sigh.

She guessed she couldn't expect much more from Ranma. He was more mouth than brain, really, and he usually just told the truth. Maybe she shouldn't have tried to force-feed him her cooking again. And she really didn't have to kick him into the fountain for refusing.

She knew her food always ended up terrible, no matter how hard she tried to follow the recipe... and Ranma was the one who usually ended up with the stomachaches after. It was just.. this small hope she had. That one day, she'd come to him and give him her food, and instead of pushing it away he'd try it, and then he'd grin her way and tell her it was the best thing he'd ever tasted.

It was stupid, she knew.

But she'd keep trying.

Still. She'd lost her temper again, and caused him a lot of trouble having to stay out of Kuno's way until he was male again. She supposed she was going to have to apologize sooner or later.

And when she did, maybe - just maybe, she admitted to herself quietly, smiling a little in excitement as she swished the beautiful gown around, that little daydream.. would come true.

-----

Meanwhile, Ryoga was returning from another all-around-Japan trip. He was originally planning to stop at Fukuoka before coming to Nerima to get Akane some souvenirs, but had somehow gotten lost again and ended up in Osaka. However, he still managed to get her the souvenirs, and was now making his way safely back to Nerima. If you counted bruised, dirty and exhausted as returning safely.

He had been looking at the ground, bent over his red umbrella, when he looked up for the first time in what seemed like days.

_I must be there by now.._

His eyes grew wide as he read the sign in front of the building: Furinkan High. He grinned wearily, but couldn't bring himself to do anything more.

_Yes! I made it. Now, to find her house._

He walked pass Furinkan's front gate when he caught sight of the school's outdoor bulletin board of recent events. As his eyes flew over the words, a grin broke across his worn face, exposing a fang. He started to giggle fanatically.

_A prom, eh? Now's my chance to make Akane see how much I adore her! I'll ask her to the prom! That's what I'll do! MUAHAHAHAA!_

Feeling newly energized, he skipped and jumped and ran; blissfully unaware that he was going in the same direction that he had come from.

-----

Akane threw off her school shoes and stepped through the front door. She put her shopping bags down by the staircase.

"I'm home!" she called out.

Ranma came out from the dining room. He had obviously just finished another workout; he wasn't wearing a shirt, his white gi slung over his shoulder with one hand. His body was drenched in sweat that glistened off his taut, muscled chest, and she couldn't help thinking that sweat was a good look on him, that she could definitely get used to this, he looked pretty darn good..

She instantly blushed, ashamed. Hadn't she seen him without a shirt more times than she could count? Why was she _blushing_?

They stood a good, long moment, not knowing exactly what to say or where to begin.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ranma opened his mouth.

"Um.. hey, 'kane." He gave her an awkward little wave with the chocolate bar he was munching on.

"Hi," she responded shyly. She looked down at the floor.

"Akane.."

"Ranma, I.."

They stopped and looked at each other. Then they broke into quiet laughter.

"I guess we've both been jerks today." Akane smiled softly.

"Speak for yourself." Ranma grinned at Akane's dangerous glare. "Just kidding. Sorry 'bout what I said earlier, Akane."

"I'm sorry too. Let's not fight anymore, at least not today. I'm exhausted!" She stretched as she said this, emphasizing her point.

Ranma bit off another chunk of his chocolate bar and, chewing loudly, asked, "Yeah, where've you been, anyway?"

Akane froze mid-stretch. She picked up her bags hurriedly and clutched them tightly, later cursing herself for how suspicious this looked. It was just reflex. She just ..didn't want Ranma to see her prom dress just yet.

"Oh, nowhere.." she waved around a careless hand. "Just, y-you know, out with Yuka and Sayuri.."

The boy, on the other hand, thankfully seemed oblivious. "Oh, okay. Hey, uh, Kasumi and the others are out seein' a movie, so I guess it's just you and me. She didn't have time to make dinner. Now," he put his hands up, "I don't wanna get into another spat, so since both of us aren't exactly gifted in the cooking department, let's just go out for dinner, 'kay? My treat this time."

Akane nodded, surprised at this unusually generous offer, and glad that he didn't seem to notice the package she was clutching so protectively. After getting over the previous shock, she smiled brightly at him.

"Okay, let me go upstairs and get out of this uniform; I've been in it the whole day. Need to take a shower too. I won't be long."

Se bounded up the stairs, bags in hand.

"'Kay," Ranma said to none in particular, throwing on his red Chinese shirt and retreating into the dining room. "I'll be watchin' TV."

Twenty minutes later, she was downstairs again.

"I'm ready! Let's go!" she said cheerfully, abruptly turning the television set off.

"Hey," Ranma protested. "I was watchin' t—" Then he looked up.

Akane smelled fresh and clean, and from the scent, he knew she'd even added a dash of perfume. Clad in an orange tank top that bared her midriff ever-so-slightly and low rise jeans, which was a far cry from all the dresses she was used to wearing, she looked almost—adorable. Sexy even. It was a battle just trying to tear his eyes away from her.. a battle he actually, for once, wanted to lose.

Akane smiled inwardly, watching him scan her body. She was surprised; usually she'd have been furious if Ranma had so much indicated any sign of perversion. Now.. she found she was actually flattered by his attention. Sure, she wasn't all too comfortable wearing such things; she liked her big, loose, comfortable clothes better, but she decided that tonight deserved a significant change in dressing, even if it was a little on the revealing side for her.

After a minute of this, she waved a hand in front of his face. "Anyone home?"

Ranma snapped out of his reverie and cleared his throat. "R-right. Let's go." He got to his feet and made for the front door.

"Wait a second." Akane said, putting a hand on his chest, stopping him in his tracks. "You haven't taken a shower yet, have you?"

"Nope." He said nonchalantly, resuming walking towards the doorway.

Akane applied more pressure to her finger, and stopped him again. "Ranma! You can't go out all sweaty and in this dirty old shirt!"

"I'll have you know that's my favourite shirt you're talking about.."

Akane glared at him.

Maybe it was a signal from God or something that told him that getting into another fight was NOT exactly what he needed right now. He threw his hands up in surrender.

"Fine, fine, I'm going already. Geez. Give me five minutes."

Exactly five and a half minutes later, they had locked the house and dojo and set off, this time with Ranma in a clean, decent-looking (if not overused) blue shirt and his normal black pants. It was dark, even with the streetlights, and the normally busy walkways of the neighborhood were quiet and strange. Instinctively Ranma put a protective arm around Akane's shoulders without actually realizing what he was doing. The way she was dressed— who knew what kind of perverts could be lurking around?

"What are you doing?" Akane quizzed him, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

Ranma gulped, realizing what he'd done. If he backed down now..

"Well.. It's late and all— You know, it's always better to be safe.. and to, erm, watch out for.. um, perverts and stuff, you know—" He replied uncomfortably. His grip on her shoulder loosened a bit.

"Oh," She relaxed and pulled his arm tighter around her. "Okay. But this doesn't mean anything. Merely a safety precaution."

"Yeah, a precaution," he affirmed. Ranma quietly sighed in relief. _That was close._

Unbeknownst to him, Akane smiled secretly, and tucked into his side, out of his view.

They walked a little further and finally reached town. It was bright there, and somehow friendlier, aglow with the neon of signboards, streetlamps and the taillights of the passing cars. Akane noticed that although they'd left the dark neighborhood, his grip on her shoulders had not so much as slacked.

And she liked it. She liked it very much.

Smiling still, she asked, "So where are we going?"

"Dunno."

"You're treating me and you don't even know where we're going?"

"Hey, I just thought we could walk around till we found somethin'. But now that I think about it, there's this new Western restaurant down on Yokidao Street I've been dyin' to try. You wanna?"

Akane looked doubtfully at him. "You sure you can afford it?"

"Just whaddya take me for?" He grinned cockily. "Don't worry s'much. Nabiki gave me a little money before they left. Said I gave her more than I was supposed to for my last debt. She had this strange grin on her face though.. wonder what that was about. Anyway, relax. I guess I need to make up for earlier anyway."

Akane rejoiced inwardly. He was finally being nice to her! This wasn't such a bad day after all.

She smiled at him and touched his arm. "Then, sure, I'm up for it."

This simple motion was enough to send a surge of incredible warmth through his body, turning his ears bright red. Ranma gulped. "Great. We'll – we'll go there then."

The two made their way over to the centre of town, and walked into a restaurant called Sunsets of Texas. Taking a place at the back, they settled comfortably in and began talking quite easily while waiting for the food to arrive. It was nice – getting a moment alone to just sit and talk without the usual bickering and insults. It was a change they both liked.

Halfway through dinner, Akane half-snorted, half-giggled. Ranma looked up from his tenderloin steak.

"Wffat?"

She looked at him, then played with her salad with her fork. "Can you imagine what your other fiancées would do if they saw us?"

Ranma swallowed. "Oh, nothing, really. Shampoo and Kodachi would probably try to kill you first, and Ucchan would seize the opportunity to latch on to me, and then the other two would see me, and _they'd _try to latch on to me, and then they'd all forget we were here and start beating the crap out of each other."

Akane giggled. "Yeah, that's about right. But it's so silly. I mean, it's not like we're on a date or anything, right?"

They both looked at each other at the sound of that word, then looked awkwardly away again.

Was this a date? It couldn't be one. No. It was just a dinner between two people who just happened to be betrothed to each other.

Not a date.

..right?

With this new bit of information still fresh in their minds, they were quiet, not quite knowing what to say to each other.

Ranma gave a nervous cough, not wanting the awkwardness to go on much longer. "The steak's great."

There was a momentary pause. Then Akane suddenly burst into laughter.

"Ah well, you tried," she said to him chummily.

Ranma found himself staring at her again. She had a beautiful laugh, like tinkling bells he could listen to all day..

He turned red almost instantly.

_You idiot, why are you thinkin' these things? _He told himself furiously_. Just eat and try not to look like a dork, okay pal?_

He tore into his steak again. They ate in silence for another few minutes.

Ranma quietly observed her from his side of the table as she daintily continued picking at her food. She opened her lips slightly, and he swallowed, his heart ramming against his rib cage at a rate that he didn't think was possible. She really did look good.. she had no idea how attractive she could be when she wasn't trying to beat him up. She was such a contradiction - it was times like this where he almost forgot how she could ever be a violent maniac.

She intrigued him more than anyone he'd ever known.

A thought came out of nowhere and a quiet voice whispered at the back of his mind.

_Ask her to the prom. You know you wanna. Ask her now.  
_

"Akane."

"Yes, Ranma?" She looked into his eyes and he found himself unable to speak for a moment. He stared at the white napkin spread across his lap.

_Ask her.._

"Would you, um, possibly.." He twiddled his thumbs.

"Yes?" Her brown eyes widened, threatening to rival the size of their dinner plates.

_Ask her._

"Erm.."

She leaned closer to him.

_Ask her!_

"Uh.. Could.."

His hand crept to his heart, trying in vain to stop it from thumping so fast. He could hear it, in his brain, becoming louder and louder as if threatening to explode..

"What is it, Ranma?"

_ASK HER!_

Then he finally burst it out.

"Couldyoupassthepepper?"

Akane pulled back. Her eyes dropped downwards.

"Oh. Yeah, sure."

She handed it to him.

_You did it again didn't you,_ whispered the same quiet voice dryly. _You chicken._

But he knew— he couldn't bring himself to do it. He just couldn't.

-----

The rest of dinner passed on like a quiet dream. Akane wasn't even aware of how she walked home. She couldn't remember coming home, or climbing into her bed and pulling up the covers.

She sighed softly under the edge of her quilt, staring at the ceiling, Ranma's handsome face appearing where her mind could see him.

The night had started off so perfectly. She had even thought that he was enjoying their non-date. And she was sure, so sure, that he would finally ask her to be his date for the prom, and say that he wanted it, as much as she wanted it.

But apparently he hadn't felt the same way she had. Because he still hadn't asked her.

_Maybe he doesn't want me as his date. Maybe he's taking Ukyo, or Shampoo, or even Kodachi. They are more his matches anyway. Who'd want to be seen with a fat, unfeminine tomboy?_

She tried blinking back her tears, but she soon felt them fall faster than she could stop them. Her eyes blurred, somehow blurring his image with it.

_Ranma, you idiot._


	2. Wednesday

**One Night**

**By Lana Atkins**

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* * *

  
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**Wednesday**

The next morning's walk to school was an entirely silent affair. There was no tension, no anger, nothing. Just silence.

This Ranma wasn't used to.

He glanced at Akane, walking quietly beside him on the ground by the rusty iron fence, her eyes on the ground. He wondered what the problem was, almost wished she'd get mad and yell at him what he'd done wrong this time and pound him into the ground. Painful as that sounded, it would probably ease the heavy feeling on his chest, for as clueless as he was over what was making her upset, he had a funny feeling it had something to do with him.

Sure, she had been perfectly normal to him. They'd even gone through an entire morning without yelling at each other. But this lack of conversation, **_any _**conversation, wasn't like Akane, who was actually quite chatty on a good day. Something wasn't right.

He frowned, considering.

It couldn't have been because of yesterday, right? She couldn't have known what he'd meant to ask..

He shook his head, placing a hand behind his head while staring into the sky.

_Naw. It couldn't have been that. I mean, Akane's the toughest, manliest chick I know. She wouldn't be interested in a silly prom._

He looked at her again. The wind blew her bangs in front of her eyes, preventing him from seeing her face. The urge to ask her what was wrong welled up in him again. He opened his mouth slightly, only to realize that he couldn't utter the words.

--

At school, they both parted to their lockers to stash their books. Akane opened hers to an avalanche of letters that immediately collapsed on her. Picking them up and looking them over, she discovered they were requests to be the individual sender's date for the prom.

She winced. Just staring at the pink envelopes with their sickening little hearts made her want to upchuck something. Heaving a great sigh, she went through the names, wondering why the guys in school seemed to lack imagination of any sort. During her breaks and whenever she had spare time, she went around school politely declining each one. To her great relief, the day passed quickly, with no one ending up tremendously hurt.

Finally, Akane walked out the front door of Furinkan High, glad she'd returned all the letters and managed to stay in one piece. Yuka and Sayuri walked by her side and told her they'd accompany her home, seeing as Ranma had to run to the Tux Rental Shop to pick up his tuxedo for the prom. He was considering not showing up at all, claiming the idea of being in a stuffy tux for one whole night didn't agree with him, but a quick word with Kasumi convinced him to go, if he did it a little reluctantly. Akane didn't believe his little statement at all. He was probably just too chicken to go through with it, the jerk..

The two girls exchanged concerned looks as they gazed at Akane's hurt, angry face. They had noticed the quiet daze their friend was in today, and knew only one person could have had something to do with it.

"So, Akane," Sayuri said in a falsely bright voice, "Has Saotome asked you to the prom yet?"

Yuka nudged her sharply and gave her a look that said _Insensitive, much?_

Sayuri's hands immediately flew to her mouth, instantly regretting her stupid slip-up.

"U-uh, what I, what I mean was, since Ranma and you are engaged, he can ask you anytime he wants. Yeah."

Yuka smacked a hand to her forehead.

To the girl's surprise, Akane spoke wearily, in a sort of defeated voice that didn't sound like Akane at all, "It's okay, guys. No need to beat around the bush. He hasn't asked me and he probably won't."

"Oh Akane…" Yuka started sympathetically.

"I'm fine with it," Akane cut in abruptly, tightening her grip on the handle of her bag. "He can take whoever he wants. I couldn't care less."

Sayuri scoffed lightly.

"Oh, come off it, Akane, this _is _bothering you. Honestly, I don't know why you let him affect you like this. We both know he's too much of a chicken to ask anyone! You're one of the most gorgeous girls in school, just get another date. It's no big deal. Guys are lined up around the block to take you," she said, a hint of envy in her voice.

"And anyway, Akane," continued Yuka, a little despondently, "we're hopelessly dateless too. So you're not alone."

Akane sighed. "Thanks for the advice, but it's okay. I'll probably go stag anyway. But I'll have you guys, so it's not so bad." She smiled at them.

Sayuri caught hold of one of the girl's hands. "You bet, hon. Oh, hey, why don't you come over tomorrow? Yuka and I were planning to get ready there and leave together. It'll be fun."

"Sounds great!" said Akane, beaming at them. "I'll be there."

--

Ranma ran steadily. The Tux Rental Shop was far from the school, but he didn't mind the exercise, and considering how much he had on his mind, he didn't really think he would realize exhaustion from the running anyway. Not that he was exhausted. He was actually making pretty good time, having run without stopping for the last 25 minutes or so.

Finally, with a cry of triumph, he noticed the shop drawing closer and closer. He came to a screeching halt at the shop's front window, taking in all the tuxedos on display. Just before he stepped in, he stopped again, looking through the plain glass window once more at the items inside.

His eyes met with the range of corsages sold at the shop. They were all pretty, even to Ranma's inexplicably male mind, but one particular one caught his eye. He leaned forward and placed his hands on the glass to get a closer look.

It was a blue orchid corsage. It was attached to a long velvet ribbon, obviously to be tied around the hand. Taking in the pretty, sort of gentle shade of blue, which was the same colour as the Neriman sky, he couldn't help thinking it would look great on a certain blue-haired someone..

"For the young ladies," said a gentle voice.

Ranma turned towards the entrance, where an old man with gray hair and a beard stood, looking at him through his full-moon-shaped glasses that glittered in the sun. Suddenly, Ranma remembered he had a mouth.

"Yeah, I know. They're, uh, nice."

Mr. Matsumoto, the owner of the shop, lowered his glasses and peered at the young man. "So you have one then?"

Ranma blinked. "One what?"

"A young lady, of course," He raised an eyebrow. "A girlfriend?"

At the mention of this word, the same smiling image of Akane popped into his mind. He blushed, wondering to himself why he was thinking of _Akane_, of all people, but pegged it off on the fact that they _were_ engaged, after all. He decided to spare the old man his whole chaotic tale and, looking away, replied a little uneasily, "Well, yeah, sorta."

The older man looked his young customer over. "Well, you seem like a nice enough young fella. Tell you what. I'll give you any corsage you want with the rental of your tux, free."

"Awh man, I couldn't.."

The owner shook his head and waved his hand as if batting something away, going back in the shop. "Nonsense. Come along inside. You're a strapping lad, so your girl ought to be a real gem. She deserves a really nice one."

He turned over his shoulder. "The tuxedo – it's for your first dance, am I right?"

Ranma's eyes widened in shock. "Well.. yeah. How'd you know?"

"I'd say marvellous intuition, but..." The man chuckled, further crinkling the lines on his old face. Then he smiled knowingly. "I could see the look in your eyes when you were looking at the corsage. You were thinking of someone who would wear it beautifully."

Ranma's face flushed.

The old man did not notice this. He instead when around to his counter and slipped the tux into its transparent case, his eyes taking on a faraway look. He spoke softly.

"You remind me of when I had my first dance. I was young then, of course, and could move a lot better than this old tin can will permit me now. And she.. my girl that is.. she was a sight to behold. As I held her, I thought nothing could ever be better than this moment; that I could die right there and then and I'd be the happiest man alive."

After dusting the case down in a sort of final way, he handed Ranma his tux, a shiny, smart black one, and smiled at him again.

"I'm sorry if I bore you with all these old yarns. In any case, I'm sure your dance will be as wonderful for you as it was for me," he said kindly. "And please, take that orchid corsage you were looking at. I've never met your girl before, but I've a feeling it'll suit her perfectly."

"Thanks, Mister." Ranma took the corsage, paused for a moment, then turned and looked at the owner. "I hope you don't mind me askin', but.. what happened to your, uh, girl?"

Mr. Matsumoto took his walking cane off a nearby rack, and walked to see his customer out the door, sadness surfacing in his eyes.

"Umiko.. passed away a year after the dance due to a long illness. I've been alone ever since," said the old man. "I have many regrets, but.. my greatest was that I never told her I loved her before she went. I know she knew it.. but I never got to say it to her right before she closed her eyes."

"I'm.. sorry." Ranma said, looking at the floor. The old man's story struck a chord deep within him, bringing his mind back to a year ago at Jusenkyo..

_Akane._

"It's okay, my boy. That was so many years ago. But if I ever were to meet one as foolish as I was then," he said, clapping a hand on Ranma's back, "I'd tell him to make things right. Before it was too late."

He smiled once more at Ranma, who was already outside, and waved a weathered hand before stepping back into the comfort and shade of his store.

Ranma stared inside a while longer, then looked down at the small bit of flower and ribbon in his hand. His brows furrowed slightly.

_Make things right.._

"Ranchan!"

He turned behind him to see Ukyo approaching. waving her giant spatula to him in greeting.

"Ucchan! Hey— What are you doing here?"

As he tried to make eye contact, he slipped the corsage under the tux to remove it from her line of sight. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough.

"Is that corsage for me?" Ukyo squealed ecstatically. "Oh Ranchan, I'm so happy!"

"Ucchan—"

"It's so sweet and thoughtful of you, I could just explode. I knew you wanted to give me something special on our special night. I just can't believe it! I've always wanted to be given a corsage.."

"B-but—" he stammered, unable to get a word in edgewise to his excited fiancée.

"Oh, Ranchan, you're so romantic! It's such a beautiful gesture. Oh," she said, just noticing the shock on her fiancé's face, "I'm sorry for ruining the surprise! I'm sure you wouldn't want your other fiancées to know that it's for me. I'll just keep quiet until the prom, don't you worry, Ranchan."

His childhood friend ignored the dejected look on his face and winked at him, as if they were sharing a secret. It was times like these where Ranma still found it hard to believe that the little boy that he had once played with ten years ago was really not a boy at all. One of his fiancées, no less.

"Anyway, I'm here to pick up my dress for the prom. You're here for your tux, huh?" She jerked her thumb towards his burden.

"Uhuh. Actually, I was just leavin', so I'll be seein' ya—" He slipped past her quickly.

"Not so fast."

Ranma felt a sharp pain at the back of his head as his pigtail was pulled backwards. He looked up into the angry eyes of his fiancée and gulped.

"Don't you have something to ask me?" Ukyo let go of his hair and folded her arms.

"Um... no?"

Ukyo shook her brown head, her eyes closed. "I tried to be subtle, but I guess you won't take the easy way. I'll make it plain and simple for you, okay, Ranchan? You, my friend, are taking me to that prom. You're not gonna be shortchanging me like you did last time. You got it?" she muttered dangerously under her breath.

Ranma felt a pang of guilt, remembering all that his stupid pop had put her through. He couldn't do the same to her.. It'd make him just like his father.. He'd be damned if that ever happened.

"Yeah— okay. I got it." He finally relented.

Her expression perked immediately. "Glad we have an understanding. I'll be expecting that corsage, sugar!"

He watched her bound towards the shop with a sinking feeling. Then he gathered himself and started home.

_Great. Just what I need. Akane's never gonna talk to me again._ He sighed._ Now to find a way to break the news to her.._

Ranma shook his head as he started into a jog. He had made it halfway home in a heartbeat, when he heard something. He slowed down, ceasing his footsteps to listen. Wait. Was that a bicycle bell.. ?

_Oh. NO._

The next thing he knew was falling facedown on the ground, the weight of a bicycle and a very voluptuous Amazon crushing his back and skull.

"S-Shampoo.." he muttered injuredly into the asphalt.

The pretty purple-haired girl beamed at him over her bicycle basket with big, bright eyes. "Nihao, Airen!"

He got to his feet, in a way that could only be described as long-suffering, and turned on her.

"WHY DO YA HAVE TO KEEP DOING THAT?!" he yelled. "I AIN'T _**PAVEMENT**_ YA KNOW!"

Ignoring his displeasure, Shampoo threw her arms around his neck. "But Shampoo miss Airen _so_ much."

She glomped him tightly, rubbing her chest expertly against his.

Ranma's arms and legs went weak as jelly. Tiny beads of sweat started forming on his forehead as he tried not to think of what was being pressed against him. Try as he might to push her away, the girl just wouldn't let go of him.

_Think, think_, he berated himself, _make use of those stupid techniques the old man always uses.._

A moment later, Shampoo found herself grasping at nothing. Ranma, somehow, had slipped under her grip and was already quite a distance away. With a displeased cry, Shampoo sprinted after him.

"Airen, I need to talk with you something. Come back here!"

Ranma looked over his shoulder and pulled a face. "Not on your life, ya crazy chick!"

"Oh, that so," she said. Ranma could hear the smirk in her voice. "Then how Ranma like if Shampoo run up old tabs for Nekohanten that Shampoo keeping since start of year?"

He stopped in his tracks immediately. Shampoo caught up to him and patted his dark head.

"Good Airen. Now I come to talk to you about school prom. You taking Shampoo as date, yes?"

Ranma felt like his head was about to explode. "WHAT?! I can't take you! You don't even go to our high school!"

Shampoo closed her pretty eyes and pursed her lips in a way that most boys would have found irresistible. "True. But Nekohanten providing catering for prom night so Shampoo allowed to go. Anyway, it say that anyone allowed to go, as long as date."

"Well what if I don't _wanna_ take you?" He moved close to her in what he hoped was an intimidating manner.

Under slitted, almost bored eyes, Shampoo coolly took a large wad of tabs and shoved it right in his face.

"I'll take you." Ranma mumbled against the pieces of paper.

The Amazon clasped her hands together tightly and jumped up and down. "Oh Airen, Shampoo so happy! I tear up tabs right away! I pick out most beautiful dress for you so everybody see that we couple."

She smiled seductively at him before hopping on her bicycle and riding away.

Ranma stared after her retreating form. He toppled over.

_Dare I ask what else can go wrong? _

Then he heard the psychotic laughter.

"Oh, Ranma-samaaa!"

He closed his eyes.

--

Akane lay sprawled on her bed, leisurely flipping through a magazine. She was pretty much free for the day; her homework having been done, her chores for the day completed, and her daily work-out over. She stretched mightily and yawned, partly from boredom and partly because she slept much the night before. She flipped one more page, then tossed the magazine aside and stared dreamily out her open window.

Just thinking about last night sent an unbelievable thrill down her spine. She remembered how he'd looked at her when she came down wearing the tank top. How his arm had fitted so comfortably around her shoulder. The way he'd gripped it so protectively.. Was she wrong in thinking that there might have been something there?

It could have been because of the trauma of what happened at Jusenkyo only a year ago. He did come and check on her every other night or so, she'd seen him, maybe to make sure she was still there.. maybe he was scared to lose her?

But it didn't necessarily mean that he had any feelings for her. It could have only been concern for a friend.

A**_ friend_**.

Would she ever be something more?

She plopped her head facedown into her yellow pillow and shut her eyes tightly, trying to wish all her problems away. Just then, a loud knocking on her bedroom door took her out of her stupor and would have resulted in a muffled 'Come In' if Nabiki hadn't simply opened the door without waiting. She smiled down at her younger sister, who had bolted upright to look at the door.

"You do know the whole point of knocking is to get the approval of entering from the person on the other side." Akane retorted.

"Save the sarcasm. You've got a visitor," said Nabiki, exiting with her signature smirk.

Akane's annoyance was neutralized by curiosity. Who could it be? She didn't usually have visitors. The people who normally dropped by were always for Ranma; whether they came to kill him or try to marry him.

She made her way down but saw no one at the front door. She called to her older sister, who was now going over the month's accounts in the dining room.

"Nabiki-onnechan! You weren't pranking me, were you?"

"Look in the guest room," replied her older sister, not even bothering to look up from her calculator.

Akane ran up again to the guest room Ranma and his father shared and opened the door. There, lying on Ranma's futon was none other than—

"Ryoga!" Akane exclaimed. "Oh my gosh.. what happened to you?"

She dropped to the floor by his side.

There was no answer; Ryoga was unconscious. Kasumi looked up from squeezing a sponge over a water basin.

"He made it to our doorstep and then fainted, poor boy. Not to worry though, Akane. Ryoga's just had a very bad week, that's all. Look, he brought these back for you." She held up souvenirs.

Akane picked them up and examined them closely.

"Hmm.. Some of these are from Osaka and Fukuoka— Wow, there are even some from Switzerland! And Africa!"

Kasumi touched her cheek lightly, saying, "Oh my. Switzerland. If I'd known he was going there, I would have asked him to pick up some cheese. I've heard it's very nice there. What a shame."

Akane stared at her sister in wonder, not quite sure the older girl truly understood the weight of the situation. Then she turned and gave the unconscious boy a sympathetic look. If only he didn't have such a terrible sense of direction. She couldn't even imagine what he'd been through to get here..

"Oh look. He's waking up. I guess I'll go cook dinner then. Akane, would you please look after him?" asked Kasumi pleasantly, her request answered with a nod from her sister. She put the sponge that had been held to Ryoga's forehead back in the basin, got up and left the room.

Ryoga stirred. His burning head pounded, and his arms and legs felt glued to.. a futon? Where was he again? He opened his eyes slowly and painfully, and the first thing he saw was Akane bending over him and smiling.

_Am I in Heaven?_

"Ryoga, you're awake."

"Akane? Where - Where am I?"

Akane patted his large hand. "You're at our house. Don't you remember? I think you came over to drop off some souvenirs. Oh, and thank you, by the way."

Ryoga turned very red at the touch of her warm hand, not wanting to move in case she took it away.

"S-sure. You're welcome."

"Hey, you'd better rest. I'll go."

Akane got up to leave and was just out the door when Ryoga found his voice and called out rather feebly, "Akane-san - wait, please."

He sat up slowly, wincing as he did, and the cold bandage fell off his forehead; forgotten.

"Yes, Ryoga?" she said, turning to look back at him.

God, she just radiated beauty..

"I've got s-something to ask you."

Akane placed both her hands in front of her dress demurely, looking at him with beautiful brown orbs and smiling at him kindly. "What is it, Ryoga-kun?"

He blushed deeply, tongue-tied at the sight. He looked at his toes.

"Oh.. um.. uh.. I heard about this prom thing Furinkan High is holding— and I know it is a little late to be asking and all— but if you ah.. if you don't have.. well, what I mean is.. I don't have a.. and erm.. I guess what I'm trying to say is— I.. uh.. was wondering.. whether you'd like to go with me?"

His words came out in such a rush that Ryoga didn't even know what he was saying until he said it. It took everything in his power not to get a terror-induced nosebleed at that very moment. He tried to meet Akane's eyes, but they were now fixed on the ground before him. He scanned her face, looking for a reaction, an emotion, something. He couldn't read her at all. All he saw was this terrible, blank look..

Then she spoke.

"Thank you for asking me," she said softly, "But I'm sorry, Ryoga.. I can't.."

He heard her words, loud and clear, but it took a while for them to sink in. And then his heart shattered into a million pieces. He looked down at the floor, right on the spot she had fixed her eyes on.

"Oh. I see. Well, that's okay. Next time then."

_I will not cry.._

He heaved a sigh. "Well, I won't take any more of your time. Places to go, people to see." He got to his feet and smiled sadly. "Goodbye Akane."

"Ryoga, I'm sor.."

She looked up and stopped, seeing an empty room. He had left, presumably out the bedroom window.. not even giving her time to explain.

_Oh, Ryoga.. Please don't be too hurt._

She heard the door open and slam downstairs, and Ranma's voice called, "Hey, Akane? Come downstairs. I need to talk to you!"

She knew she had to move, but she stood in the doorway, still thinking about the disappointment she'd seen in Ryoga's eyes. She had hurt a very good friend.

Then, remembering her fiancé, she half-heartedly replied, "I'm coming." She slowly came downstairs.

The moment she set eyes on Ranma, she knew something was up. The thumb-twiddling. The shifting of weight between the legs. Not to mention the **VERY GUILTY** neon sign that was flashing across his forehead.

"Uh, Akane.. I just thought you should know— And just so we're clear, this is NOT my fault.. I, uh, ain't quite sure how to say this.."

"Oh, spit it out already." she snapped.

Ranma scratched the back of his head uneasily. "Uh, well.. see.. I'm takin' three dates to the prom. Listen, before you mallet me, just know that it ain't my fault and I got a very good reas— hey wait, Akane, put that thing back, let's talk about this.. Oh, _crap_."

Ranma backed slowly against the wall and winced in preparation for a thrashing.

To his surprise, it didn't come.

He looked at her. Akane looked just about ready to murder him, mallet held high above her head, ready to descend in a crushing blow that promised pain.

Then she dropped her eyes to the ground. She let the mallet go, which dropped to the floor with a crash and therefore proceeded to disintegrate.

Ranma unwound his arms slowly, stunned.

"Akane.."

The girl spun around, made her way to the front and slipped on her shoes. She walked out the sliding doors and halted, her shoulders trembling slightly. Then she muttered, barely audible, "It's alright, Ranma. Why should I care? You can have your three dates, it has nothing to do with me. I don't mind because.."

She turned around and smiled at his bewildered face.

"I'm already going with someone."

She slammed the front doors behind her, not caring to see his reaction, and started sprinting.

It was raining heavily now, but Akane found she didn't care. She ran through the streets, blindly through the water pouring around her and from her own eyes, but she knew them well, and knew she wouldn't crash into anything.

She stopped to lean against a lamppost for a minute, watching the puddles grow bigger around her, and put her hands over her face.

she'd never felt stupider.

_Ranma, you** jerk**__— I can't believe —I can't believe I wasted my time waiting for you to ask me. You know what? I'm not going to **bother** anymore— I don't need you. No, I'm taking someone who actually wants me to go with him._

She wondered whether Ryoga was still in the neighborhood.

**Author's Note:**

Do NOT grab your torches and pitchforks just yet! I am a strong believer in happy endings.

Still one more chapter to go.


	3. Thursday!

**One Night**

**By Lana Atkins**

**_Dedicated to Jackie, fellow Ranma ½ fanatic (don't deny it, babe) for your constructive criticism, your help, time and unbelievably perverse/entertaining sense of humour, and your super, psychotic, wonderful personality. Thanks for all the laughs _****:)**

_  
_**_Much love to all my college mates! Thanks for a great year._  
**

**_________________________________________________________________________**

**Thursday**

The day dragged on too slowly for everyone in Furinkan High that day; the whole school abuzz with the excitement of what was about to take place in the evening. This, however, was especially so for the likes of Ranma, who was feeling weighed down by a heavy feeling of depression that had taken over him since the moment he opened his eyes that day. People, lessons and even lunchtime seemed to move in slow motion; figures that danced before his eyes.

He pushed his plate away from him, and propped an elbow on the lunch table, resting his chin on it. His brows furrowed as he stared at the rest of the bustling, noisy cafeteria, staring over the heads of the other students until his azure eyes finally came to rest on a certain blue-black-haired someone. She was laughing at something her friend said, and as she did he felt the familiar sensation of his heartbeat picking up ever so slightly.

Then he remembered.

_Akane's takin' someone to the prom, and it's not me._ The whispering voice in his brain told him for what seemed like the hundredth time today._ But who…?_

Then his face darkened. He scowled at his oblivious fiancée, then looked away and scoffed.

_Heh. Why should I care if that uncute tomboy's takin' someone else? It'll just save me the trouble. _

Across the room, Akane laughed again. He glared at her out of the corner of his eye.

_Look at her. Actin' like there's nothin' goin' on. _

He growled and scrunched the paper napkin he had in his hand into a tiny ball.

_Well, FIIIINE! See if I give a crap if you -_

"Ranma? Hello! EARTH TO RANMA! COME IN, RANMA!"

Ranma started as he saw a hand wave itself in front of his eyes. Hiroshi narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"Haven't you been listening to anything I've been saying?"

Ranma looked at him from under uninterested, half-lidded eyes. "Nope."

Hiroshi closed his eyes and sighed. "Okay, well, I need your expertise on this. Dai an' I haven't been too lucky with the dates thing, and the Prom is today. So we're doing a little, uh, damage control. We wanna ask these two chicks, right, and we thought we could use some help from everybody's favourite playboy..."

Ranma jumped to his feet, infuriated. "I ain't no _damn_ playboy!"

Hiroshi waved a careless hand, not affected in the least. "Okay, okay. But you do have three fiancées— okay, two fiancées, at your beck and call. There's gotta be some secret to this. What'd ya do to get 'em so hot for you like that? Is it just male charm or.. Dai, I think you'd better take this down, you got a notebook there somewhere?"

Dai nodded, his hand poised, ready to write. They looked at him expectantly.

Ranma stared at them, incredulous, before his steel blue eyes flashed angrily. "Hey, you **want** 'em? You can _**have**_ 'em! I'm so sick of this!"

Daisuke eyed him. "Hey— calm down already. What's with you today? You're usually so eager to point out how much of a hunk you are."

Ranma sighed, deflating, and ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry. It's just that Akane took the news about the three dates thing.. I wouldn't say _well_, but she was very.. what's the word.. _civil_ about it, and she's been actin' all cool with me ever since. I mean, the scary aura and the poundings I can take, but **_this_**? I ain't used to this. And then she said she's takin' someone else to the prom. I mean, who the heck is it? Ah, hell— I just wish she'd given me a chance to explain. I mean, it's not like it's my fault I hafta go with em'. "

Hiroshi shook his head and slung a pitying arm over his friend's shoulder. "Ranma, Ranma, Ranma.. I hate to break it to you pal— but it kinda is."

Ranma jumped again, "My fault?! Do you have _any_ idea what I have to go – "

Hiroshi held his hands in front of him a little anxiously. "Would you calm down and hear me out for a sec?"

Ranma dropped down into his seat again and crossed his arms. "You have two minutes before I get physical."

Hiroshi sighed in relief, then held out a hand, counting them off. "Okay. First, take Ukyo, for example. She was cast aside by your father; rejected by those around her until she came here. You feel you **_owe_** it to her to be her date, at the very least. But still, if you really don't wanna go with her, at least have the guts to tell her so. Second, Shampoo. Well, I understand why you're engaged to her but—all the eating for free at the Nekohanten—considering all the tricks she's pulled in the past, you shoulda been a bit more careful. At least destroyed the tabs or something. And Kodachi.. she's a crackpot. You could, and should, have landed her in an asylum months ago for everything she's put you through. So yeah. It is pretty much all your fault."

He dusted his hands off, satisfied.

His friends stared at him in amazement.

"Nice to see you've given this a lot of thought," said Ranma dryly, an eye twitching.

"Just an opinion, man. Just an opinion."

"Look," Daisuke said hurriedly. "Why don'cha just talk to Akane now? Explain what happened."

"Not a chance," Ranma muttered dejectedly, resting his head on his palm again. "She's refused to talk to me all day, and right after school, she's going to Sayuri's house to stay over, so I can't get her alone."

"Hey! I wanted to ask Sayuri!" cried Hiroshi.

"I'm taking Yuka, Akane's other best friend. Okay, so we haven't exactly gotten around to asking them yet, but they'll be sure to have us. They haven't got dates too," added Daisuke. "You're gonna have most of the fun though. Three gorgeous women hanging all over you for a night! I guess we ordinary guys can only dream."

Ranma hung his head.

_Yeah. This is gonna be **real** fun._

_-- _

**Later that night**

The student decorating committee had outdone themselves. The gymnasium, free of its nets and sports equipment, was beautifully done up for the night, nearly unrecognizable. The beams above were hung with glittery stars and silver banners to make it look almost magical, and creating the illusion of a midnight sky. It set the tone for a smashing evening, and everyone walked through the front doors with just a little more anticipation for what the night would hold.

The dance floor was lit up and alive from the very beginning. Under a big, shiny disco ball, the couples danced their shoes off to the fast numbers, only slowing down for the slower, more romantic songs that played every once in awhile. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves, having a fantastic time.

Everyone, that is, except Ranma Saotome.

He sat alone at one of the tables, gently fingering the blue orchid corsage between his thumb and forefinger. None of his fiancées had arrived yet, and he was sure that once they did, he would be treasuring the solitude he had now.

_Geez. Why hadn't I just been a man and asked her? Maybe I deserve to have Mom cut my stomach open._

He made a face.

_Okay, maybe that's a little much. But still. Damn. I wouldn't be in this situation now if I'd just been honest with the other girls and just asked Akane at dinner that night._

Akane.

Speaking of Akane..

She still hadn't arrived yet. He pulled up the cufflinks of his tuxedo and looked at his watch. The prom had already kicked off a little less than an hour ago, and she still hadn't arrived.

_Where is she?_

Then, as if on cue, he glanced behind him, just in time to see Akane and her friends walk through the doorway.

Ranma's breath caught in his throat.

Akane was wearing a shimmering light blue gown that he had never seen before, and the moment he saw her, he knew, without knowing exactly why, that no dress would ever fit her as well as this one did. She wore a single white rose in her short blue-black hair, which fell loosely at her long, white neck. Her dress gleamed beautifully in the dark gym, lit up by the little rays reflected off the disco ball, but Ranma was sure it would have done so anyway even without the lights. It had a slit that ran way up to her thigh, giving him a tantalizing view.

Her slender arms were wrapped around herself in this self-conscious way, as if she felt out of place, almost like a little girl. And yet she wasn't— she looked more grown, more a woman than he had ever seen her..

She _was_ beauty.

He took in a breath, not knowing he'd stopped. The intake of oxygen allowed him to think a little clearer and he noticed that Akane's bright, brown eyes were scanning the room, looking for something. Or someone.

_Could she be looking for me?_ He wondered for a moment.

Then, in the dark of the gymnasium, he noticed someone coming towards her. Ranma couldn't make out who it was; the guy's back was to him, and the shadows covered what view Ranma had of his face.

The guy grabbed her hand. To Ranma's surprise, instead of turning on him a fit of rage and sending him into the heavens, as she'd done on many an occasion with the perverts who were stupid enough to try that sort of thing with her, Akane simply turned to him and gave him a soft smile. The guy then offered her his arm, and she wrapped her own arm around it. Ranma's heart burned with jealousy, and he had to strongly resist the urge to march over and punch the guy's lights out for touching her, for stealing the smile he knew belonged to him.

Then both of them passed right by the table where Ranma sat. And Ranma finally caught sight of the person in arms with Akane.

_Ryoga!_

--

Akane walked in the room on Ryoga's arm, attracting plenty of stares, and at the same time, was not able to believe she was actually doing so. She would have never thought she would be at an actual prom, something she had sworn she would never attend, and with **_Ryoga_**, nonetheless. She was amazed that she'd managed to make it through the hall without being ambushed in some way. Even her father, when he'd heard that she was going with Ryoga instead of her 'intended', had decided not to interfere. But then, she'd seen Kasumi take him into the kitchen right after she'd told them, and heard the occasional whimper from Soun as a hushed discussion took place. After that, he came out, white in the face, Kasumi following with a somewhat satisfied expression. Akane grinned; she didn't know what her sister did, but she was grateful, and silently thanked her for the opportunity of a wedding-free evening.

She looked herself over. The gown looked better on her today than it had in the dressing room, though it hadn't turned out exactly the way she'd imagined it in her daydream. Glancing at her date, she realized a lot of things weren't.

Akane fingered her dress uncomfortably all the same, wondering if Ranma was watching her from somewhere at that very moment.

She hoped he was.

Ryoga caught the movement, and gave her a cute, reassuring smile. She smiled back, but felt a pang of guilt because she had someone else on the brain.

_Where is he?_ she thought. _He's got to be here._

She looked around the room, but couldn't catch sight of the pig-tailed boy.

Then she frowned.

_Why should you care anyway?_ she scolded herself. _He didn't care enough to ask you to the prom. So why should you?_

Ryoga tried to lead her to a table, but they somehow mysteriously ended up at the storage room outside the gym. So when they had gone back inside, Akane picked a table close to the dance floor so they wouldn't get lost. After apologizing somewhat sheepishly, which Akane found endearing, Ryoga pulled the chair back for her to sit, like a true gentleman.

She stared at the seat a little bewilderingly, before taking a seat. It was new to her to be treated like a lady.

She looked at Ryoga's smiling face, and felt that little pang of guilt again.

_Ranma never did this for me,_ she thought a little sadly.

"I'll just get the punch,'' Ryoga said, touching her shoulder lightly. "I won't be a minute."

"Okay." Akane half-shouted over the blaring music.

After Ryoga left to the food table, skipping a little, Akane noticed Yuka and Sayuri approaching the table, punch glasses in hand.

"So how's it going?" she asked once they'd come within hearing distance.

"Guess what, Akane," said Yuka. "You know those two guys from class, the ones Ranma's always hanging out with?"

"Hiroshi and Daisuke? Of course. What about them?"

"They asked us to be their dates." Sayuri told her.

"Oh that's won – "

"We turned them down."

Akane's mouth dropped open a little in surprise. "But.. but why? I thought you wanted dates!"

Yuka straightened her peach dress a little, replying, "We wanted guys who actually wanted to go with us, not only because we were a last resort. But you know, we're not gonna let it stop us from having fun anyway."

Akane smiled."Well, that's great, guys, I'm glad. But uh.. look."

She guided their vision to the back where two solitary guys were sprawled somewhat morosely across a table.

"Aw, they look so sad," she said, not being able to completely keep out the giggle in her voice.

"Ah, don't worry, Akane," Sayuri said, cupping her hand aside her mouth and giving her a wink. "We'll save them a dance later."

"Oh, that's good then."

"Well, anyway. God, Akane, you've lucked out again," Sayuri told her, cocking her head to survey the boy pouring punch into two glasses, "Ryoga is a real hunk! I mean, he can be a li-ttle intense sometimes, but I think he's a good guy."

"He is," Akane agreed. She paused, a little embarrassed at the thought of her next question, but continued anyway.

"Oh, um, have you guys seen, uh, Ranma?"

Sayuri and Yuka exchanged a look.

"Yeah, he's over there," said Yuka, pointing to another table at the back of the room. Akane turned around, following her finger.

And stood up.

"Where're you going, Akane?" asked Sayuri.

"To find Ryoga," said Akane, not taking her eyes off the spot they had pointed her to. "We're going dancing."

--

Three very beautiful girls surrounded Ranma. The eyes of every guy were glued to them, much to the annoyance of their dates, who were tugging them forcefully away from the picture. They were taking turns to glomp and/or force-feed him, and in contrast to what the guys thought he must be feeling right now, he was utterly exhausted with having to put up with them.

"Cannot believe Ranma-Airen invite other hussies to prom," Shampoo complained. "And Shampoo already tear tabs."

"Back off, Amazon. I asked him first. You two had to go and ruin our perfect evening." Ukyo glared at the other two.

"Ohohohoho! As if I could leave my darling Ranma to be treated to a horrible evening with two pheasants!" laughed Kodachi haughtily behind her hand.

"Oh yeah?" said Ukyo smugly, perching a hand on her hip. "You wouldn't act all high and mighty if you knew what Ranchan's giving **_me_**."

Ranma's ears perked at that. _Uh-oh._

"What is the meaning of this, Ranma-darling? What is she talking about?" demanded Kodachi indignantly, stepping in front of him.

Shampoo's bright eyes glinted angrily. "Yeah, what Spatula-girl talking, Ranma?"

Ranma gulped, his eyes switching between the burning gazes.

Ukyo, unaware of Ranma's discomfort, continued gleefully. "Ranchan got me this beautiful blue corsage, and he said I'd look better in it than any of you."

"_What?!_ I never—"

"It's alright, Ranma-darling," Kodachi cut him off, resting an index finger on his lips. "I don't buy her sad little story. It's not possible of you to buy such things for a beastly girl such as she."

"Yes," Shampoo agreed, knocking Kodachi's finger away. She crossed her slender arms proudly. "Corsage belongs to Shampoo and Shampoo only."

Kodachi glared menacingly at the warrior, then at the chef.

"Why, how dare you try and weasel away the corsage Ranma-darling had obviously purchased for _moi_?" she cried. "Prepare to die!"

She nimbly whipped out a few black roses and whirled it at the girl's faces, conveniently jumping a few feet back. They dove away to avoid the onslaught of poisonous petals, and just managed to ivade them in time.

Ranma, however, felt his body numbing all over.

"Paralysis powder. Why is it always paralysis powder?" he managed to choke out before he fell off his chair.

"Ranma-sama!" cried Kodachi, anguished.

"You see what you do to Airen! I kill you now!" cried Shampoo, pulling out her chui from God knew where.

"So you think you can match the Black Rose! Ohohohohoho! I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget in a hurry!" said Kodachi, pulling her ribbon from underneath her slinky black dress.

They stared at each other for a moment.. before they realized something was missing.

"Wait," said Shampoo suddenly, lowering her weapons and looking around. "Where Airen?"

Kodachi glanced at the place where Ranma had fallen. He was gone.

Then, at the same time, they turned towards the dance floor, catching a glimpse of Ukyo dragging him, as subtlely as she could manage, through the partying couples.

--

Akane was swept across the floor, held a little too tightly for her liking by Ryoga, who was still trying to convince himself that he wasn't dreaming. Surprisingly, he wasn't all that bad; he wasn't stepping on her toes all that much, and he actually had a sort of awkward rhythm. She guessed it had to be all the footwork they had to learn while in training.

It was another slow number. Akane peered at all the other couples around them. Some were laughing softly, giggling into each other's embraces, others just smiling peacefully, not saying a word. The one thing they had in common was that they looked so _happy_.. like they would not rather be in any other place than they were at that moment. It was a perfect picture.

She didn't feel the same way.

Did that make her the odd piece of the puzzle?

Akane closed her eyes, and instantly, she imagined that someone else was the one dancing with her, holding her close..

She opened them, and looked over Ryoga's shoulder.

Her eyes shot open.

Ukyo was dancing with Ranma. She was holding him tightly, his arms were draped around her (rather lifelessly, really, but Akane didn't notice this) and her head lay on his shoulder.

Akane caught Ukyo's eyes. After realization set in, the chef's lips drew into a smug smile, and she winked at Akane.

Akane's aura began to glow a dark red, and she tightened her grip on Ryoga's shoulder, wishing she had something handy, a preferably big something, to hurl at Ukyo's shiny brown head. Ryoga, sensing that something was wrong, asked her,

"Akane? Are you alright?"

Akane immediately cooled down.

"Everything's fine, Ryoga." She smiled at him and clung to his arm. "I'm having a great time."

The bandanna-clad boy nearly fainted with pleasure.

Ranma, who was still partially paralyzed, struggled to keep himself on his feet, laying off most of his weight on Ukyo without actually meaning to. Ukyo didn't mind. She was pressed up close to him in a way not unlike Shampoo's own signature glomps. It was something new to her, something she normally wouldn't have done and prided herself in doing so, but she had decided a while ago that desperate times called for desperate measures, and these were desperate times. If feminine charm did not work, what would?

Finally, Ranma found he could stand up without falling. His brain unfuzzed, and it suddenly registered that he was in Ukyo's arms. He turned the colour of beetroot. He struggled weakly for a while before he looked over Ukyo's shoulder, and locked eyes with Akane.

They stared at each other for a second, as Ranma caught on that she was slow dancing with Ryoga. His fists clenched at his sides, and he scowled. He stopped struggling. Instead, he grabbed Ukyo's hand and started dancing with her, his eyes all the while boring into Akane's coolly. She glared at him with an undeniable expression of cold fury, seeing the okonomiyaki chef's look of obvious delight, but she only led Ryoga to another section of the dance floor.

Ukyo smiled cutely at him. "Having fun?"

"Yeah, loads." He muttered distractedly, trying to catch a glimpse of his fiancée again.

"Now, where's that corsage you got for me?" she asked coyly, grabbing his face and full attention while running a hand down the front of his tux. Ranma pulled at the neck of his collar uneasily.

Then Shampoo and Kodachi came crashing through the crowd.

"Get off Airen! Corsage belong to me! And is Shampoo's turn for a dance!!" Shampoo cried, grabbing Ranma's arm.

"He's mine, you disgraceful ingrate! And I'm taking that corsage!" shrieked Kodachi, pulling the other arm a little more forcefully.

"The_ heck_ you are! I took him first, so just you beat it, sister!" Ukyo said angrily, holding on to Ranma tightly.

A geeky voice interrupted their squabble from the back of the room.

"SHAMPOO, MY LOVE!"

A Chinese curse word escaped the young Amazon's mouth as she let go of Ranma's arms and prepared herself.

Mousse ran towards them, the tip of a bouquet of lillies visible under his voluminous sleeves. "I'VE ARRIVED, SHAMPOO! YOUR DATE! RIGHT HERE!"

He glomped Ukyo tightly from the back, his hands unintentionally brushing against certain unmentionables. "Oh Shampoo, how I've waited for this night!"

Burning with anger, Ukyo slowly lifted a clawed and trembling glove-encased hand and muttered, "If you're going to hug someone—"

She turned and delivered a bruising uppercut on Mousse, sending him through the ceiling of the gym. "WATCH WHERE YOU PUT YOUR HANDS, MORON!"

As the group watched Mousse sail out of sight, Kuno appeared, dressed in a traditional Japanese kendo outfit, more glamorous than his usual one. Striding up to Kodachi, he grabbed her hand.

"Brother dear, what are you doing?" Kodachi exclaimed.

Kuno swished a brown curl out of his eyes dramatically, and said, "Sister, I will NOT allow you to date this inbred mongrel! Go home now!"

"**_Who're you callin'_**—" began Ranma furiously, taking a step forward and pulling up a sleeve.

"Let me handle this, Ranma-darling." Kodachi said, stepping forward. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Brother, how dare you order me like this." She raised her hand..

..and pointed at Akane, who was trying to slip further away into the crowd with Ryoga.

"Loook! It's the Tendo girl! Don't you want a dance? Ohohohoho!"

Akane stopped in her tracks and gritted her teeth at the gymnast.

"Why, you.."

Kuno's eyes lit up instantly. He ran towards her with arms outstretched. "Ah, the beauteous Akane Tendo! I've been looking for you everywhere, my sweet desert rose.."

Ranma and Akane kicked him with perfect precision through the hole in the roof Mousse had made, yelling in unison,

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!"

"GET LOST, YA CREEP!!"

Akane whirled around to face him, anger written on her face. "I can take care of myself! Mind your own business!"

Ranma's eyes bugged out incredulously. "_What_?! I was helpin' you!"

"Well, I don't_ need _your help. Why don't you just go back to enjoying your little date with these maniacs? Come on, Ryoga," she said, grabbing hold of Ryoga's hand and leading him away.

Ranma's temper began to flare. He yelled at her, "You stupid uncute girl! I was helpin' ya get rid of that nut-job and this is the thanks I get?! You're such a DUMMY!"

Akane let out a little snarl and started towards Ranma, her trusted mallet already forming in her hands, when Ryoga slid a hand in front of her. Fire burned in his eyes.

"Nobody," he flared, "Nobody insults Akane like that and gets away with it."

"Ryoga, this isn't necess -"

"Oh yeah? Ya wanna fight, pig-boy?" Ranma smirked and slipped into a fighting stance.

And so they did. The dance floor cleared immediately and the couples watched as the scene unfolded before them, some even retreating to their seats. They knew from experience that a night without anything weird happening when Ranma Saotome was around was too good to be true.

The three girls, in turn, pulled out their weapons.

"We fight for him," said Ukyo coldly, removing her spatula from her back once again. "And the corsage. Winner takes all."

"Fine by Shampoo," said the Amazon warrior, narrowing her eyes. Her beautiful red cheongsam seemed to light up with the battle aura she projected as she struck a battle pose.

"Agreed. Don't cry, little girls, for I can assure you.. the victor _will_ be me," said Kodachi, drawing a self-confident smile.

"We'll just see about that!"

They flew at each other.

Ukyo removed numerous little gleaming spatulas from her dress and started throwing them. "Take that!"

Kodachi attacked with her gymnastics equipment, ribbons, hoops, and her various poisons and explosives. She laughed maniacally.

Shampoo fought fiercely with her chui, occasionally grabbing what she could and hurling it at the other girls's heads, shouting a dangerous battle cry.

"Stop it! Stop it this instant! People might get hurt!" Akane yelled, as she watched a chair fly across the room. They ignored her.

Mousse appeared. "Prepare to die, Ranma Saotome! No-one can date my Shampoo!!"

"Shampoo not yours, Stupid Mousse!" Shampoo cried in the midst of battle. But Mousse had already begun hurling various foreign objects at the pig-tailed boy.

Soon, Kuno had appeared and started jabbing at Ranma with his sword. "The pig-tailed girl AND Akane Tendo! It's too much for my kindred loving heart to bear! You shall pay for this, vile sorceror!"

"Three against one? You cowards!" Ranma yelled, being slowly backed up into a corner.

Then, without thinking, he reached over to the food table, grabbed the glass bowl of punch and hurled it towards the three of them. It, amazingly, struck all three of them squarely on the head, knocking them out cold, but didn't smash and stop there. The bowl flew around the room with such a force that many people was forced to jump out of the way.

"Oh crap," Ranma muttered under his breath.

_I gotta do something before someone gets hurt,_ he thought.

He ripped off his bow tie and flung it towards the bowl as hard as he could. The bow tie, instead of making the bowl crash to the ground before it could harm anyone like Ranma had hoped, changed its direction. To his horror, Ranma noticed where the bowl was headed.

_No._

"AKANE -

_He wouldn't get there in time.._

- WATCH OUT!!" Ranma yelled at the top of his lungs.

Akane turned around and her mouth opened in shock when she noticed the bowl flying towards her. She screamed, backing up against the wall.

Suddenly, she found herself and ducked. The bowl crashed just a few inches above her head. Punch and broken glass rained over her.

Ranma stood, open-mouthed in horror.

The room was reduced to silence, save for a few gasps from the other students. The three girls stopped fighting and stared at Akane, who was now getting slowly to her feet.

A little shaken up at first, she looked herself over.

Her once-beautiful gown was ruined. Shards of glass stuck in its soft fabric, and a horrible ripping sound rang through the quiet gym as she stood up. The blue material was stained red as the punch that had soaked it. One of the roses that had been pinned to her dress fell slowly to the ground.

Akane looked up slowly at Ranma. Her eyes pierced into his, the hurt in them injured him more than any attack could. Then she turned, and ran out of the gym.

Ranma stood frozen to the spot. His mind screamed at him to follow her, but his legs wouldn't cooperate; still rooted to the floor. Then, finally, he managed to pry himself from his position to run out after her.

--

Akane ran outside across the school courtyard and into the garden. There she collapsed against a big tree and cried.

_That idiot.._

Then she heard him. He was calling to her. Was that— **worry** in his voice? Did he actually even care?

Akane shook her head miserably. As if Ranma actually cared.

She stifled her sobs, not wanting him to find her. She buried her head in her knees, hoping that the voice would soon die away and she'd be left alone..

When she looked up, however, she found herself staring at Ranma's upside down head.

_Damn him,_ she thought.

She got up and started walking away. Ranma propelled himself off the branch and fell into step with her.

"Akane—"

"I don't want to hear it, Ranma. Congratulations. You've successfully ruined my evening. Now leave me alone."

"Listen to me, I didn't mean for that to happen, I'm sor—"

Akane whirled around, and Ranma finally got a good look at her. She'd been crying. Her eyes were puffy and red, and currently filled with fire.

"Oh, you're sorry? Well, that makes _everything_ better, doesn't it?" She told him sarcastically. She stalked off.

Ranma ran after her. "I'm tryin' to apologize here, Akane! This kinda thing ain't easy for me, can't ya cut me a little slac -"

"I've cut you plenty of slack," she muttered, picking up the pace. Now angry, he grabbed her hand, trying to get her to stop.

"Damn it, listen to me, you stupid tomboy! None of this was my fault!"

"_None of this was your fault?!_" she yelled. She turned around and slapped him, leaving an angry five-finger print on his cheek. He reeled from her in shock.

She lowered her head.

"None of this was your fault?" she repeated, in a quiet voice that seemed louder to him than it had been when she was yelling. "When is it ever your fault, Ranma? I'm sick of hearing how you're just a poor innocent victim in everything that goes on. You are the one who keeps avoiding making the decisions, not anyone else. You want me to explain? I'll explain. _You_ had plenty of time to make a choice and take whoever you wanted to the stupid prom. You didn't. _You_ had plenty of times to sort things out with your fiancées. You didn't. _You_ didn't tell our fathers that you didn't want this engagement anymore, and then you wouldn't have had to be stuck with a stupid, violent, uncute tomboy. And I – I wouldn't have hurt this much.."

Ranma took a step backwards, feeling as if she'd slapped him again. He watched her press a palm into an eye to wipe away her freely flowing tears as she continued softly.

"Maybe I was a sucker for thinking that you ever could've liked me, but I never had the chance to know for sure because you always denied it, as if I was never worthy of your love.."

Akane felt her chest tighten and heave then, and unconsciously placed a hand across it as if to stop her heart being ripped to pieces so painfully. She stopped, and heaved a great, sob-racked sigh.

"I've been trying to tell you for nearly a year now, Ranma," she said, in a tiny voice that was heard crisply in the night air. "I like you. I may even love you, you big, dumb idiot. Do you know how scary that feeling is? How it eats me up every time I have to see you with your stupid fiancées? But nothing's ever easy. Every time I tried to get close to you, to tell you how I felt— you pushed me away, or ruined the moment by doing something stupid. And I was always left waiting." She rubbed her eyes furiously with her hand and looked up.

"So now you know. I've said what I have to say, okay? I'm finished. We're finished. So go ahead, Ranma. Run off, pat yourself on the back and tell yourself that it wasn't your fault. You're such a coward."

She ran off. Ranma didn't try to stop her this time, simply staring after her as she disappeared from view.

--

_Oh God. She's right._

Although the stinging pain in his right cheek throbbed relentlessly, it didn't compare to the ache he felt in his chest. His heart.

Akane liked him. She might even **_love_** him. And now she'd never speak to him again.

He was suddenly struck with the realization that this prom was actually **important** to Akane. Akane, the violent, masculine tomboy, had actually gotten all excited for something as mundane as the prom. He thought back to the Tuesday when she'd come back late. Was that package she'd been clutching— her prom dress? She hadn't wanted him to see it, he had noticed. He was a martial artist, after all. Was it because she'd wanted him to be surprised? Because she'd been counting on him asking her..?

_What a moron I've been._

Ranma dropped to the ground and cradled his head in his hands. His mind froze with her screaming at him; calling him a coward..

Was he really a coward?

If it was one thing that Ranma thought he wasn't, it was this. A coward. He'd taken on a lot of worthy opponents. And he'd never been afraid.

His thoughts flew back to Akane. He thought about her laugh; the way his stomach did those funny flip-flops, or when she'd been crying because of something he did; how his insides cringed and how he felt he'd never be able to forgive himself for upsetting her— and when he'd held her in his arms at Jusenkyo, when he'd thought she was dead.. how he'd been so frightened that she'd never open her eyes and smile for him again..

She made him feel things he'd never thought he would.

And yet after all that, he still couldn't put his pride and ego aside to tell her that he'd actually.. fallen for her.

And God, it was true. He loved her. He loved his uncute, unsexy, amazing, beautiful tomboy.

He just never told her.

He knew that he had screwed up a lot of Akane's life. He'd thrown her into the path of danger more than just once or twice. So if something as small as a prom made her happy, why shouldn't he have asked her? Or at least let her have a decent, normal night, like the ones she had before she met him?

But no. He had to go and mess that up too.

But what was he going to do now? How was going to make it right?

Mr. Matsumoto's words rang in his mind as the familiar words drew the memory.

_Make it right.. Before it's too late.._

_Make it right.._

"Make it right," he said softly._  
_

Ranma lifted his head, filled with new resolve. He leaped up and took off running.

_-- _

Akane had already given up crying. She now sat by the courtyard fountain, picking out the shards of glass she could see from her dress. Soon, she gave that up too, and looked over the side of the fountain, seeing the glowing white moon reflected on the water's surface. The thoughts in her mind contrasted the serenity around her.

_I can't believe I actually told him._

_I actually** told** him._

_Oh, GOD._

_What is he thinking now?_

_Does he hate me for calling him a coward?_

_Will things be different?_

She shook her head disgustedly.

_Of course they will be, you moron! You slapped him, spilled your guts to him, and called him a coward! Of COURSE things will be different!_

She sighed for what seemed like the millionth time since this whole mess started, reached a hand down and drew gentle circles in the water, destroying the calm image of the moon.

_What will happen to us now?_ She thought with a tinge of fear and sadness.

Suddenly, she felt two strong arms around her, picking her up. She started to scream, when a hand made its way to her mouth. A voiced hissed in her ear.

"Shhh! Calm down, it's me!"

_Ranma? _Akane thought. _What's he doing he–_

Then the anger came flooding back.

Akane hit at him and hollered, "No, I will **_not_** calm down! Put me down, you jerk!! What gives you the right to touch me after everything you did? PUT ME **DOWN**!!"

"Ah, shaddup already," he said, with a voice without malice, "Just hold on a minute before you rip my head off, willya?"

At the tone of his voice, Akane stopped hitting him and simmered down. She put her arms around his neck as he jumped off. Even though she was still angry, she couldn't help the feeling of security and comfort in his arms, a fact that annoyed her further. She glanced up at his face. He looked determined about something.

_What is he _**doing**?

To her surprise, they were back at the gym again. Ranma kicked open the doors. The gym was looking a little worse for wear after all the battles, and it had been totally deserted. Akane figured the rest had cleared after the commotion, and was sorry that their night was ruined just because of a few silly people. She thought about Ryoga and felt sorry for him; he'd tried to defend her honour and all he'd ended up getting in return was being knocked unconscious. She decided to apologize the next time he came around and make him a nice dinner.

She was pulled out of these thoughts as Ranma set her down in the middle of the dance floor.

"Wait here," he told her before disappearing behind the center stage.

Shivering a little, Akane wrapped her arms around herself and winced as her fingers scraped against a few leftover bits of glass. She touched the folds of her ruined gown. No matter what Kasumi could do for it, it would never be the same. And it had been so beautiful too..

Suddenly, soft music mused from the sound systems. Akane looked around in wonder. Music?

Ranma emerged again and walked towards her; slowly, a little hesitantly, a softer look in his striking blue eyes.

He stopped in front of her.

"I know nothing I say right now is going to make up for what I did. But there are some things I have to get off my chest," Ranma said, his voice breaking the silence in the quiet gymnasium. "You may not be the prettiest girl, or the best cook, and your hips **are** kind of wide.."

Akane bristled at this, clutching the mallet that suddenly appeared between her hands, "I thought this was supposed to be an apology, you -"

"..but you're Akane. And that's all that matters to me."

She looked up at him, stunned, as he continued.

"I may insult you, and call you names, but ya gotta know that I don't always mean em', right? I mean, I know I can be kind of insensitive, but I'm a guy. I didn't know you'd take it so seriously an' all. I don't actually mean it. I only do it to annoy you. It's just.. kind of how I am around you, you know?" He pawed at the ground with his black shoes.

"I'm sorry, Akane. I'm sorry I ruined your night, and your dress. I'm sorry for messin' up your life. I'm sorry I'm an insensitive jerk and for makin' you cry all the time. I'm sorry about everything. You were right. I am a coward for not dealin' with all of my messes sooner. I know I have a big ego sometimes.."

"_Some_times?" she cut in.

"Okay, most of the time. That's why.. I just didn't really see it until you told me. I.. I know I've put you through a lot with all the curses and the fiancées and everythin' but.. I'll make things right. All of it. Even if it takes me forever. And I'm starting right now."

He reached into the pockets of his jacket. He pulled it out and held it to her. "Will you be my date for tonight, Akane?"

He held his breath, bracing himself for the disappointment that could follow.

Akane looked at the small package, a bit squashed with all the action it had been through, and new tears began forming in her eyes. She took it from him. She fingered the beautiful blue corsage, stroking it gently, as if it were made of precious gold.

"Yes," she whispered.

Ranma looked at her joyfully, unable to believe his ears.

_She said yes._

_She said yes!_

_She actually said YES!_

Noticing Akane was now watching him curiously, he knew he'd been staring at her. Regaining what was left of his composure, he said, "Here, I'll put it on for ya."

He slipped the orchid rather clumsily on her small, pale hand and felt goosebumps travel up his arm at the touch of her bare skin.

This girl had such an effect on him..

After he'd done, he smiled nervously at his fiancée, and asked, "Dance with me?"

"But my dress.. It might hurt you," Akane said, concerned.

He grinned amusedly at this. "Hey, I carried you here, didn't I?"

Akane fingered a shard uneasily. "Still.. "

"Okay, look."

Ranma slid his jacket off and dusted it down. Then he draped it around her shoulders.

"Problem solved," he said mildly, extending his hand to her.

"In that case," Akane held the tip of his fingers, returning the smile. "I'd love to."

They stood awhile, looking into each other's eyes. Then, tentative and unsure, Ranma wrapped his hands around her waist. Akane placed her hands on his neck uncertainly. The contact was strange to them; they'd never held each other like this, not willingly at least. Ranma had carried Akane many times in the past, but somehow— this was different. They'd never danced together before.

Their shoes made squeaky noises on the empty dance floor and echoed the gym as they began to move. After swaying a little awkwardly for a few minutes, they started to get into the flow of the music as it guided them.

"This is—nice." Akane told him.

"Yeah," he replied, and with mounting surprise, he found that it actually was. He thought it would be weird and he'd end up crushing her foot or something, but he found that they were actually doing okay. And having her so close, something he infrequently enjoyed, was a good bonus.

"Sorry, I ain't much of a dancer." He apologized, suddenly self-conscious.

She giggled, bringing her eyes up to meet his. "It's fine. I don't dance much either. Not since 5th grade when Nabiki said I looked like a cow trying to do the salsa."

Ranma once again opened his mouth automatically. "Well it ain't surprising, you being a klutz an' all."

He winced the minute he said it. Hadn't he just apologized? What the heck was wrong with him? That was it. Akane was going to kill him, and he'd have ruined another great moment. He steeled himself for her rage.

Then he heard her speak.

"And this is coming from the joker who almost crashed into a pole last week in gym?" she questioned laughingly. Ranma knew that she wasn't mad and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, Akane. It's gonna take some gettin' used to not calling you names. To be honest, I'm gonna miss it. I mean," he said quickly, seeing Akane's face, "..it's not that I like insultin' you, it's just that.. when you get angry, it's when you're at your best. There's passion in that anger. And sometimes.. it's almost worth gettin' pounded for, just to see it, cause it's not somethin' that's easy to find. It's.. kinda attractive, actually."

Akane blushed at this, and looked up at him earnestly. "You really think so?"

He smiled, and after hesitating a little, said, "Yeah, I really think so."

A ballad they found they both liked mused through the sound system and around the gym. They held on to each other in comfortable silence for a while, then moved closer, relaxing, as they continued to slow-dance. Akane laid her head on his shoulder, her soft hair brushing against his nose sometimes as they moved. Ranma felt his heart rate gain so much speed that he thought it would burst right out of his chest.

"Just so you know," he croaked out a while later, "..klutz or not, you looked really cute in that dress tonight."

Akane felt her cheeks grow hot. "T-thanks."

"Wait," he said, pausing for a second. He took a deep breath.

"Make that beautiful."

Akane lifted her head off his shoulder, looking at him with large brown eyes that were swimming with tears. Ranma brought his hand to her face, brushing it softly with his fingers.

"So damn beautiful.."

He leaned in slowly and kissed her softly, shyly, on the lips. Akane felt heat travel all over her body and she responded by taking the back of his neck in her hands and drawing him close to her. Ranma's hands now rested on the small of her back and he delighted just in being able to touch her, the way he'd always secretly wanted to. From something deep inside him he knew, in every second of their kiss, that it was right, it was perfect, it was meant to be.

They broke apart reluctantly. Ranma could feel her trembling slightly through the thick of his coat, and out of impulse, he pulled her tighter into his embrace. He couldn't stop staring at her, the way she simply glowed in the dark of the gym, the way she was smiling at him now—

"I love you," he said breathlessly. He was surprised at how easily the words came, how it made him feel so free, as if a great burden was lifted. It didn't feel mushy, or corny , or embarrassing, like he thought it would. It felt.. incredible.

Akane giggled, surprising him. She gazed at him, placing a hand on his cheek. Then she leaned in and kissed him again, tenderly. After she had stepped back and delighted in Ranma's dazed expression, she grinned at him almost mischievously.

"I guessed."

And that smile was all it took to confirm it, all over again.

Suddenly, they heard the shouts and shrieks of his fiancées, Ryoga, Kuno, and Mousse drawing nearer. They turned to each other.

"Time to go." Akane whispered.

Ranma swept her up in his arms. "Well, I can't let my date run home like this, can I?"

She laughed. "I guess not. But do we have to go home? I'm not sure.. I want this to end so quickly."

Ranma grinned. "The park then?"

"The park," she nodded happily.

Ranma ran out the back door of the gym as quietly as he could manage, and leaped over the school fence. After running a while, with Akane held safely close to him, he reached the big, quiet park, relief filling him as the loud voices finally died away.

He set her down under a tree, and sat beside her. Akane tucked in her knees and snuggled further into Ranma's coat, relishing his scent, as he looked at her, thoroughly mesmerized with how amazing she looked with the moonbeams falling gently across her smooth, fair skin.

Realizing what he was doing, he looked away and cleared his throat awkwardly. "What a night, huh?"

Akane looked at him cheerfully. "Yup. A real winner. But.. you know something, Ranma?"

"What?"

"All that's happened.. it was actually worth getting my dress ruined." she said, a queer mixture of sadness and happiness in her voice.

"I really am sorry about that," he said, gazing down into the eyes that seemed to light up even in the dark of the night.

"There's no need to be." Akane told him.

Ranma watched her a while longer. Then, stretching out an arm, he pulled her towards him until she was lying on his chest, never more sure of anything in his life.

He realized he'd never get tired of holding her. Feeling her against him filled him with a powerful sensation he'd never experienced before; it was overwhelming, it was magical, it was wonderful, and he never wanted it to end.

"It really is okay," she said softly a while later, reaching for his hand and clutching it in hers. "You made it up to me by making this night more special than I could have ever dreamed of."

He smiled, and it lit up his whole face. "I'm glad. And Akane?"

"Yes, Ranma?"

"I really am in love with you."

Akane reached up and kissed him on the cheek, whispering into his ear, "I love you too."

She leaned back against his chest, enjoying saying the words that she had longed to say for so long, and smiled. It had been one heck of an evening.. it was one that had ended her life as she knew it forever. She closed her eyes, thinking of all the fights, the disagreements, the chaos in both their lives, the events that had taken place in one night.. then opened them, looking up towards the rising sun that had just begun to peek out of the dark horizon; feeling Ranma's steady, slow breathing as he slept, his heartbeat keeping perfect timing with hers.

And knew that a new day was beginning, in more ways than one.

**end**

**A/N:**

EDIT: I think this has to be the 10000th time I've made changes to this thing, and I can finally feel somewhat satisfied with the way it is now. :)

I always wanted to do a prom-themed story for a fanfic. It's somewhat cliché, I know, but we in Malaysia don't have real proms (at least some of us don't) and even if we do they're not as outrageous as the ones you find in the US or UK, from what I've heard anyway. So I've always wondered :) I have no idea whether they have proms like that, or corsages for that matter, in Japan or not, but I just wanted to run along with the idea of it being a dance more than anything else.

I tried to make the characters as true to themselves as possible and not too over the top, so I hope I accomplished that :) As for Akane, her emotions surrounding the 'unattainable boy' are somewhat real; they were based on a similar situation I've had to go through, so of all characters I hope I did her justice.

In answer to a comment I got about it taking a lot more for them to confess their true feelings to each other, much less _demonstrate _those feelings, I agree. It IS one of the things we love most about this couple. But I chose to think of them admitting their feelings on account of an accumulation of emotions, thoughts, feelings and events leading up to this moment. It makes a lot more sense that way. And besides, the people want WAFF, so that's what I'll give em!

Thanks for reading :)

Lana Atkins

(If this fic seems similar to other fanfics that have been written, it was purely coincidental. I happened to look at some of Angela Jewell's fanfics (which are some of my favourites, may I add, I love her stories) after I wrote this one and I was really shocked because they shared some small similarities with 'Prom Night', or 'One Night', as I have decided to rename it. It doesn't matter anyway. They're a heck of a lot better than mine.)


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Ranma, Humor, Romance